Starting Monday, county residents who need to apply for welfare
services will have the ability to do so through an automated,
online service called C-IV. San Benito County Health and Human
Service Director Kathy Flores said this system is
”
much more efficient than the other system
”
after seeing it for herself.
HOLLISTER
Starting Monday, county residents who need to apply for welfare services will have the ability to do so through an automated, online service called C-IV.
The idea for the program started as a collaborative effort in four California counties – Merced, San Bernardino, Riverside and Stanislaus – and in 2004, the actual C-IV program went live. After positive reviews from those four counties on the system, it will be activated in San Benito County and 34 others.
San Benito County Health and Human Service Director Kathy Flores said this system is “much more efficient than the other system” after seeing it for herself.
“We’ve had staff that have gone over to Merced and shadowed a worker,” she said. “I was very impressed with the system.”
C-IV allows applicants to apply for CalWorks, Medi-Cal and the county medical services program without going into an office. The online application process also has another feature called C4Yourself, which allows people to apply for food stamps online.
C4Yourself walks applicants through the application process, informs them of what forms they will need and will automatically submit the application to an in-box at the health and human services office, Flores said. The application will be viewed the next business day, and a worker will schedule an appointment for the client.
Another feature of the program is the imaging system that will allow the county to get rid of cases on paper. Flores said the office currently has a room that is filled from floor to ceiling with cases.
“Years down the road, we will have everything available electronically,” she said, adding the program will save staff time on processing incoming applications.
For the full story, see the Free Lance on Monday.
